I thought we had a normal ‘drowsy’ newborn baby — then a stranger saved his life

Matt and Laura Bradbury-Stewart did everything you’re ‘supposed’ to do as expectant parents.

The couple, both 35, prepared for the arrival of their son, Sam, with the organisation you’d expect from two professional project managers: they read the books, took antenatal classes, and even attended a paediatric first aid course.

But nothing can really fully prepare you for walking through your front door with a newborn.

‘I felt relieved, but also kind of terrified,’ recalls Laura, remembering the overwhelming emotions she felt bringing Sam home in October 2023.

‘We were just trying to focus on making sure he was happy and healthy and fed and sleeping – like every new parent.’

Sam had been delivered at 37 weeks via c-section, due to Laura experiencing a complication called placenta praevia, where the placenta blocks the cervix. It wasn’t the ideal birth story, but the parents were ‘just happy that everything went well’.

Three days later though, they had a niggling feeling something wasn’t right.

‘Sam seemed to get really sleepy and he wasn’t waking up to feed,’ Laura, from Somerset, tells Metro. ‘As much as we would try to rouse him, he wasn’t opening his eyes or interacting with us.’

Still, the first-time parents didn’t seek immediate help, reasoning that their midwife hadn’t flagged any issues at their appointment the previous day. 

‘We were wondering, is this normal? Is he just really sleepy?’ says Laura. ‘When you have those check-ups in the first week, you don’t realise things can change so quickly.’

By chance, Laura scrolled through Instagram a couple of hours later – and a video set alarm bells ringing.

She watched as fellow mum, Beth Simpson from Reading, shared her story on The Lullaby Trust’s social media page. Beth was detailing the symptoms of an infection her late son, Joshua, had experienced before his tragic death at eight days old in February 2021. One giveaway was a low temperature.

A healthy temperature for a baby is between 38°C and 36°C. A number above or below can be a sign of infection. 

Laura put down her phone and told Matt to find the thermometer. Sam’s temperature had plummeted to just 35°C.

The couple rang their midwife, who called the hospital. They were told to come in straight away and to monitor Sam closely in the car.

En route, Laura couldn’t tell if Sam was breathing, so called an ambulance. 

‘We pulled over into a layby, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. It took an hour,’ she says, recalling how they debated whether to keep driving the 30 minutes themselves, but didn’t want to make the wrong decision.

‘It was horrific. I was just a complete mess – I had to get Matt to sit in the back seat with Sam. I couldn’t watch.’

The medics confirmed Sam was having episodes of apnoea (temporary pauses to breathing) and began to squeeze a resuscitation bag over his mouth.

They rushed him into infant resuscitation at the hospital, with Laura in the ambulance and Matt driving behind. From there, Sam was warmed, given antibiotics, put on equipment to help his breathing, and taken to neonatal intensive care.

Sam went straight into an incubator and spent a week undergoing tests to try and figure out what had caused his symptoms.

The couple were told their newborn had an infection – likely something he picked up at the hospital after birth – but doctors couldn’t identify the exact cause or strain.

‘If it wasn’t for the awareness about infection from The Lullaby Trust, I don’t think I’d have taken his temperature as you always worry about babies having high temperature too, so I didn’t even think about it being low,’ says Laura.

‘We both wonder if I hadn’t seen that Instagram post and Joshua’s story whether Sam would be with us now.’

Laura and Matt are sharing Sam’s story to mark Infection Prevention Week, with a nationwide poll by The Lullaby Trust revealing almost 30% of UK parents and carers have delayed seeking medical help because they were worried about ‘wasting’ NHS time.

Almost a third (32%) of those surveyed said they held back due to uncertainty around if their baby really needed medical help or not, while only 3% of parents were able to correctly identify the symptoms of infection.

It is really common for new parents to wonder if they’re being ‘paranoid’ about their child’s health, but the charity has one clear message: play it safe, trust your instincts.  

Next week, Sam will turn two. He loves being outdoors, he likes mud, he’s obsessed with helicopters and he loves watching his dad cook in the kitchen – but it could have ended tragically. 

‘Reliving it still upsets me, and I’m sure if another baby comes along I’ll be very paranoid,’ says Laura. ‘But if sharing our experience today can save another baby, that means everything.’